Ever After
by Dashita Tichou
Summary: Even as she taunted him, Winry couldn't help but worry-not just about her husband either, but her adorable little children whom where almost as much trouble as Edward and his brother.


"Mommy…?" a sleepy voice came from the door-way. The blue-eyed blonde spun around immediately to see a very small three year-old clutching at a blanket with one hand and a teddy-bear in the other.

"Sarah!" she said, abandoning Edward where he lay on their bed, only in his boxers with his destroyed automail removed, "What are you doing up Sweetheart?"

"I was… Worried about Daddy from earlier…" Sarah let out an enormous yawn, her golden eyes scrunching closed through the stretching of her face. A thunk came from behind them and Winry looked over her shoulder, unsurprised to see Edward on his foot without use of a crutch. He'd gotten used to doing that over the years; it was amazing how much more often he scrapped his automail now that he wasn't an alchemist anymore.

"It's okay Sarah," Edward said, letting himself fall safely to the floor so he could hug his daughter, "I'm okay. Mommy's going to fix up my leg just like she always has."

"Are… you sure Daddy?" Sarah asked, feeling her daddy run his hand through her hair.

"Yes Sweetheart, I'm sure. Why don't you go back to bed? If Theo finds you missing, he's gonna kill you for worrying him." It came as no surprise for either Elric to find out that their son was fiercely protective of his little sister.

"But… I just wanna…" Sarah trailed off and, as three year-olds sometimes do when they're exhausted, fell asleep in her father's arms. Winry knelt down next to her husband and gently took in their daughter's sleeping form.

"She looks just like you…" Winry said quietly.

"No," Edward disagreed, "She only has my eye color. Everything else looks like you." Winry just smiled and the two watched her. "She scared me today…" Edward whispered.

"I know Ed, I know." Winry replied, lifting their sleeping daughter to take her back to her room. Crawling on three limbs, Edward made his way back towards their bed, wincing at how the skin pulled around the port. As a twelve-year old, he was _much_ smaller than he was at twenty-nine. He hadn't really thought of it before, but he might have to go through another automail surgery because of it. Unconsciously, Edward winced before thinking back to earlier that day without quite reaching his destination.

_"Daddy!" a four year-old called from the top of the boulders next to the river, "Look at me! I'm king of the world!"_

_ "Just don't get too close to that ledge Theo!" Winry called up._

_ "Can Daddy see me?" Theo called, anxiousness sounding in his voice._

_ "I can see you Pipsqueak!" Edward called, "But you better get back down here or you might give your sister some ideas!" He watched as the boy scrambled back down the mound and run up to the three year-old who was watching the fish in the river._

_ Edward sighed as the two dropped into insequential chatter and turned to his wife._

_ "Where we this much trouble as kids?" he asked, shaking his head with a laugh._

_ "No," Winry replied evasively, "_You_ were worse. You and Al always gave me a heart-attack."_

_ "Hey!" he protested, "We weren't _always_ that bad! Remember when we made you that doll?"_

_ "I was talking about five and up stupid!" Winry teased._

_ "Whatever," Edward growled, ignoring the subtle tremors that came up his legs from the ground. Resembool was near a fault line, so small quakes weren't that uncommon. It would be over soon. "I was talking about five and _down_." Winry just laughed at him and he latched onto her tightly and kissed her, suddenly not wanting to ever let her go again. A chorus of "Ew!"s from the river let him know his kids were safe and Winry kissed back. The moment was perfect until the rumbling grew larger instead of smaller._

_ Tremors rocked the stack of bolders and the Elrics could barely stand as the first came tumbling down, barely missing the two children. Edward lunged forward as the rest of the pile joined the first. He grabbed his kids and the three fell towards the river, but one of the boulders struck Edward's leg_.

Edward didn't remember much after that for a few hours, just a bunch of shouting and bandages and someone carrying him. He still wasn't sure who, just that Winry had been close to tears. Turned out that the boulder had destroyed some nerve receptor or other and it had sent him into shock.

His musing was interrupted by Winry's return, minus one sleeping child.

"What are you still doing on the floor Alchemy-freak?" she asked, using the nickname to get him out of the all-too familiar rut of worry that he worked himself into.

"Mechanic-freak," he returned without answering her question. Silently he raised his arms, asking for help to get onto the bed. Winry obliged and a moment later they sat side by side, legs touching and holding the other's hand.

"Tomorrow is ten years Edward."

"I know. Sorry, I can't do what I was planning without my leg…"

"Oh, Stupid, all I want is to spend the day together with you and the kids."

"But-" Winry cut him off with a firm kiss to the lips.

"We'll worry about the surgery _after_ tomorrow."

"At least you don't have to worry about who to send the kids to."

"Thank goodness they're still in town…"

"Al actually knows how to relax, unlike me…" The couple let out a combined laugh before Winry leaned on Edward tiredly.

"I'm glad that you proposed Ed…" Winry ran her fingers through his pony-tail that now fell to his waist.

"I'm glad I did too Winry," Edward returned, kissing his wife, "I'm glad I did too."


End file.
